Wake Tech’s Zebulon site still looking for commitment

The interest seems to be present but commitment remains something Pamela Little, the dean of the Eastern Wake site, is watching closely.

Student Erica Speller concentrates as she works on a math problem in a GED prep class at Wake Tech Community College Adult Education Center in Raleigh on Sept. 16, 2013. Whether or not Wake Tech will reinstate the high school equivalency program at its Eastern Wake Educational Center in Zebulon will depend on the number of people who register.
cseward@newsobserver.com

Lee Moose, who oversees Wake Tech’s high school equivalency program, said in March the reinstatement of the program in Zebulon this fall would depend on the interest and commitment of the community.

The program, formerly the GED program, was pulled from the Eastern Wake Educational Center’s menu in the spring as leaders assessed its value at all of Wake Tech’s locations.

“We had to re-evaluate the need in each region because there were locations where there were too few students to offer the program,” Moose said at that time.

The interest seems to be present but commitment remains something Pamela Little, the dean of the Eastern Wake site, is watching closely.

Thirty-three prospective students attended a pair of informational sessions held in June and six more attended another session last Wednesday. But by that time, just six had actually registered for the program.

Little says at least 15 students would be needed for the program to return to Zebulon. And the future of the program, she says, will depend on its success today.

“We’re kind of positive that after tomorrow we’ll hit that mark,” Little said prior to the fourth and final informational session, held Thursday evening. “There is definitely a need in this community. The important thing is they must commit to the course. We can offer it, but if you don’t commit it will go away.”

The information sessions were mandatory, meaning only those who attended can register for the program. However, registration can be completed through Wake Tech’s website up to the first day of class.

Little hopes the people who attended the sessions but have yet to register will follow through and help put her classrooms to good use.

“I really just want the community to take advantage of this opportunity so that they wouldn’t have to travel to Raleigh (for the classes),” she said. “We’ve had walk-ins come in all the time asking about the course but they’ve just got to commit.

“We build it but no one is coming, and I’d hate for that effort to go away.”

The course is tentatively set to run 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Thursday, from Aug. 11-Oct. 2. Little said if enough interest is shown for an evening class, it would run 6-9 p.m.

The classes, offered to ages 16 and older, are free. The four-part testing process to pass the program is held at a Raleigh campus and costs $125.